Red White and Blue 1
Dave Thomas


Red White and Blue 2
Dave Thomas



Red White and Blue 3
David Thomas

Artist’s Statement of
David E Thomas

I took my first picture of a homeless family in downtown Bogota, Colombia over 40 years ago.
I remember thinking how glad I was that my county didn’t have social problem as serious as that.
At that time I never would have dreamed that the number of people on our streets who were homeless, addicted or mentally ill would grow so dramatically in the decades to come.
I became a “street photographer” in Colombia because I wanted to record the lives and customs of its people.
Recently, I rediscovered street photography when I realized that it was more interesting to walk (with my camera) through downtown Los Angles to my employer’s newly relocated offices rather than ride there on a bus. So each day very early in the morning I walked almost a mile down South Broadway looking (hunting) for interesting things and people to photograph.
“Artistic” landscapes and sleeping homeless people became my easiest “prey”. Occasionally, I risked “shooting” homeless people who were awake and potentially hostile.
However, while I have found the “hunt” to be challenging, I have hoped that at sometime my photos of the homeless could be used to raise the public’s consciousness about the plight of these people, many who are victims of our society’s failings.
Still it’s the “thrill of the hunt” that drives me.
Getting a great shot is very satisfying.